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League of Chicago Theatres

The League of Chicago Theatres is proud to serve a membership of more than 200 theaters, a rich and varied theater community ranging from storefront, non-union theaters with budgets under $10,000 to major cultural centers with multi-million dollar shows. No other theater service organization in the country has such a diverse theater membership. Whether you call yourself a Chicagoan or are just visiting for the weekend, the League of Chicago Theatres is your source for Chicago theater.

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Congratulations to all the 2017 finalists! The 2017 Finals were held on Monday, March 6, 2017 at the Goodman Theatre. Sejahari Saulter-Villegas of Kenwood Academy High School placed first, Ryuan Johnsonof Chicago High School for the Arts placed second, and Danae Jones of Wendell Phillips Academy High School placed third.

The 21 Chicago finalists for 2017 were Tyrianna Ross and Faith Harris of Advanced Arts Program at Gallery 37; Steven Cooper, Ryuan Johnson, Joshlyn Lomax, Destiny Mack, and Nia Otchere-Sarfo of Chicago High School for the Arts; Latrel Crawford of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Preparatory High School; Chantel Washington of Harper Academy Charter School; Nicari McCormick, Hashim Parham, Kyndal Purkett, and Sejahari Saulter-Villegas of Kenwood Academy High School; Rocket Engel and Tyler Kelly of Lincoln Park High School; Rory Hayes and Iza Rodriguez of Nicholas Senn High School; Harold Hosely Jr. of Simeon Career Academy High School; Markeia Kellogg of Southland College Prep High school; and Amonti Johnson and Danae Jones of Wendell Phillips Academy High School.

Students were asked to perform a 2-3 minute monologue of their choosing from one of the ten plays in August Wilson’s Century Cycle. Esteemed judges for the 2017 Chicago Finals included E. Faye Butler, Shanesia Davis, Allen Gilmore, and Ron OJ Parson. 21 finalists selected from more than 400 participants across 25 Chicago area schools advanced to the Chicago Finals and competed for the top three spots in the National Finals.

The top two finalists participate in the National Finals on Monday, May 1, 2017 at 7:00pm at Broadway's August Wilson Theatre in New York City. The Finals will include a weekend of activities around the competition. The top three contestants from the national competition are awarded college scholarship opportunities in addition to monetary awards and the gift of TCG’s Century Cycle collection. The first place winner will receive a $1,500 cash prize, the runner-up a $750 cash prize and the honorable mention a $500 cash prize. Each of the winners will also receive college scholarships of $1,500, $1,000, $500, respectively.

About the Competition

To be considered, students must complete the application form and register for a time during the preliminary round. Students are asked to perform a 2-3 minute monologue of their choosing from one of the ten plays in August Wilson's Century Cycle.

They are adjudicated by a panel of Chicago theatre professionals on the basis of preparedness, understanding of the text, emotional connection to the material, and commitment to the performance.

The top three participants in Chicago receive $500, $250, and $100 scholarships, respectively and the opportunity to compete in the national finals in New York City.

2017 Application

Applications for 2017 August Wilson Monologue Competition are now closed.Thank you to all that applied!

August Wilson’s Century Cycle is a singular achievement in American theatre. Each of the ten world-class plays is set in a different decade of the twentieth century. At the plays’ core are soaring, lyrical monologues that take the rich song, laughter, and pain of the African American experience and place it in the mouths of the most varied ensemble of characters written since Shakespeare. The plays of the Century Cycle are:

Gem of the Ocean

Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

The Piano Lesson

Seven Guitars

Fences

Two Trains Running

Jitney

King Hedley II

Radio Golf

For more about the Century Cycle, click here. For more information about this competition, please contact Ana Velazquez at 773.484.0474.